


A New Murder

by Nebulad



Series: Mien'harel [10]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Minor Violence, Non Binary Tabris, Nonverbal Communication, Other, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-09
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 09:25:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3322298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebulad/pseuds/Nebulad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their legs started to shake entirely out of their control and they heard Morrigan yell. Zevran's voice joined the distant, blurry din- everything had gone a little dull around the edges. The blonde elf was kneeling beside them, suddenly. "Taliesan?" they asked.</p><p>"Zevran," he corrected them, and they laughed.</p><p>"No you fucking tit, where is he?" He gave them a strange look- probably. They weren't seeing 20/20, but they were pretty sure there was bit of confusion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Murder

Gahruil clutched their arm, grunting in pain when Taliesan's blade cut through the thinnest bit of the leather. It immediately began to burn and they were fairly confident that he'd probably coated the blades in something. _That Crow poison Zev taught you to make, probably._ The burning went deep inside the cut while a tight stinging remained to peel at the edges of the wound. They staggered backwards and fell on their ass. _This was the worst idea I've ever had. The absolute worst._

They'd been trying to take out his legs, or disarm him. Just enough to put him down, then let Zev deal with him. _Yeah yeah, you're a big fucking hero trying to give him a chance to spare this asshole. Now you're gunna die. Maker I hope Alistair can handle the Blight by himself. Fucking Alistair._ The assassin was momentarily distracted by the giant Qunari looming behind him, so Tabris let their head loll against the wall they were supporting themself on. _Alistair can't even handle changing his socks regularly, and I want him to stop the Blight? What about the Landsmeet? Andraste's tits they'll eat him alive._

Their legs started to shake entirely out of their control and they heard Morrigan yell. Zevran's voice joined the distant, blurry din- everything had gone a little dull around the edges. The blonde elf was kneeling beside them, suddenly. "Taliesan?" they asked, their voice raspy.

"Zevran," he corrected them, and they laughed.

"No you fucking tit, where is he?" He gave them a strange look- probably. They weren't seeing 20/20, but they was pretty sure there was bit of confusion.

"Dead. That does not matter right now, tell me where the wound is," he ordered. His voice was flat and serious which made them laugh as their fingers trembled. They wanted to mock him but they felt like their guts were shaking too, so they didn't. Their impression of him probably would have been terrible.

"Arm- upper arm. Left," they said instead. He took the arm, then a knife and cut the armour away. "Hey! Hey fuck that, this is my good armour," they protested in a slurred voice. They swiped at him but he batted their hand away.

"I will buy you new armour, Tabris, hold still and drink a poultice," he said shortly, handing them a tiny red vial. They obeyed him wordlessly, a bit of fear edging at their largely numb body. "I will buy you new armour that won't split from a-," he launched into Antivan that was too fast for them to follow and ripped off the sleeve of their armour for final emphasis.

"I don't understand," they said, stopping his hands. They didn't like to speak without using sign language, but with one arm out of the game it became a necessity- at least it was only Zevran who was required to hear them. He always understood them, even when they had so little to say.

"I'm not giving you a language lesson, don't worry about what I said," he snapped. They hummed a bit.

"Tell me what you said anyway?" they asked. Panic was quickly overtaking fear and the more they told themself that panic would make their pulse speed up which would make the poison work faster, the more they panicked.

"Lots of things that saintly father of yours you keep talking about would hang me for teaching you," he said, taking out his 'poison pouch'. He usually carried around enough ingredients for the both of them, and in return they would haul around the salvaged weapons.

"Will you teach me later?" they asked.

"Work that poison out of your system, Tabris, and I will teach you every curse I know. Tevene has quite a few good ones, but let me tell you, people who try to call Antivans perverse have never been around an angry Orlesian before," he teased. They laughed quietly but shut their eyes. "No, no Gahruil. I once told Morrigan how stunning your eyes are and I think I would like to see them now," he hummed.

"They're brown," they muttered, opening them with great effort.

"And lovely. The colour of- _shit_..." He grabbed their arm urgently, but they started laughing almost hysterically. They could feel the skin around the wound start to burn again.

"They're the colour of shit?" they asked. He barked out a laugh that was more panic.

"Sten, hold them down. Apologies, _amoris_ , but this is going to hurt like a bitch."

"That's a curse," they said, bracing themself as best they could. Sten kneeled down and muttered a quiet _be still, kadan_ before pinning their wrists to their sides. Zevran took a clear bottle from his pouch and poured the entirety of the contents over their arm. They screamed, although they hadn't meant to.

"Oh quit your piteous wailing, Gahruil, it is hardly worse than the alternative," Morrigan said, her face drained of all colour. _That sounded like concern, sister_. "Your noise will bring more Crows down upon us and what are we to do then?"

"Hush, my Wild Witch. If it pleases our Warden to scream until they're hoarse then we will deal with whatever consequences it has," Zevran scolded, trying to keep his voice light. He's looking downright ashen as well.

"H-H..." They tried to pant out words, but it was going badly. The pain seemed to paralyze their voice box. "H-Have I ever told you I love you?" they blurted finally. He grinned in a manic, nervous way, still working frantically to mash some root or another into some brown paste.

"Plenty of time for that later," he said in a rush.

"And Morrigan, I love you too. And if you go to meet my other sister, Shianni- she's my cousin but-," they broke off as Zevran smeared the paste onto the wound. The pain was so bad they felt bile rise in their throat, but forced themself to keep it down. Arl Eamon had fed them better than they'd ever eaten in their life and they would _not_ lose it to the Crows. "Shianni," they finished, once they were confident they weren't going to puke. "You'd like Shianni."

"Don't say foolish things," Morrigan hissed.

"Sten?" they asked. He nodded. "Did you kill Taliesan?" they asked. He shook his head.

"The elf slit his throat," he replied. Gahruil cringed.

"That... sucks," they said softly. _All that work and I'm going to die_. "I love you too, Sten. I can't remember if I mentioned that?" He scowled. "Can you make sure Alistair does his job?"

"You cannot give your duty to someone else, _kadan_ ," he said sharply.

"Tell him that, he's the senior Grey Warden. I'm just a good-looking elf that happened to... join in last second." They'd take Vaughan and their wedding night to their grave, then. It would have been nice to share but they didn't want to be remembered as the wild animal who tore a man's eyes out with their nails.

"Gahruil Tabris, you are starting to really bum me out with all your dead person talk," Zevran said shortly. Tabris laughed.

"You're the only one who got my name right on the first try," they said fondly.

"Of course I did. It would be shameful of me to fumble a deity's name." His voice lacked his usual flirtation. They reached out, actually feeling a bit better. Their hands weren't shaking and the only spot that hurt was the wound.

"Can you tell my family when I die?" they asked.

"You are not going to die," he returned. His eyes were fierce and they believed it.

"Not now, then, but if I do? I just... I want it to come from another elf. I know you don't like alienage elves-,"

"Nonsense. I like you."

"-Zev, stop. I know that alienage elves make you uncomfortable and I know I don't have any right to claim kinship on you, but please." They didn't even know why they wanted this so bad. They just... the thought of their father having to face down Morrigan or Sten, or Shianni having to hear it from Alistair... they loved them, but they wouldn't be around to tell them why and how they did. They wouldn't be there to assure Cyrion that Sten had an adorable sweet-tooth, or how Morrigan looked intimidating but they were _siblings_. They wouldn't make Shianni face down another human noble alone, even if it was only Alistair. Leliana would say something about the Chantry that Tabris would never forgive, Oghren would be... drunk, more than likely. Shale didn't seem to fully comprehend their more mortal emotions yet, and with Wynne it would be all about how nobly they died.

"I will do this for you if you promise me something in return," he said sternly. They nodded. "I will inform your family of your death if you swear to me not to die. Ever." They giggled, which turned into a full-blown laugh as soon as there was enough air in their lungs to allow such a thing.

"I promise," they said, taking his hand.

"I do not abide oathbreakers, Tabris."

"Isn't that a little ironic?"

"Hush. Come now, stand up. We will take you back to Eamon's and have Wynne take a look at you- for now, you are out of immediate danger," he declared. They grinned and weakly punched his arm.

"You after Wynne's job, Zev?" they asked. He surprised them by lifting them bodily off the ground, and then even more when they found he wasn't smiling. "Zev?"

"H'm?" He was looking at the ground and they realized that he'd killed Taliesan not a foot from them. _I'm such a fucking idiot._

"I... I can walk. We can go on ahead if you need a few minutes to..." They were whispering because he wouldn't agree otherwise. Not in a million years. He shook his head.

"If it is all the same to you, I will see you safely to Wynne." That was the end of it.

"I'm sorry," they tried.

"Patients should rest, not worry," he said with a warning sort of finality.

\- - - - -

He was sitting at the end of their bed, sharpening a dagger. They didn't recognize it, which meant that it was grunt work. "Hey," they said lightly, and he seemed to forget that he was even holding a weapon.

"Care to explain to me how Taliesan almost killed you?" he demanded. So that was anger and not concern that turned his mouth down and narrowed his eyes. **_He's still so good-looking though._**

 _A mixture of luck and poison?_ they signed, their arm twinging slightly in protest. He didn't seem amused so they gave a long, huffing sigh. _I was just trying to incapacitate him, all right? I took in one Crow for no better reason than he was an elf and I was scared of Alistair, I thought... I thought you might want to at least see him off safe._

"And the part where I told him I was not going to let him kill you? Right before he began to attempt to do just that?" he asked. They shrugged.

_I don't know what you want me to say. You seemed pretty intent on killing me until I disarmed you too, and you're better than he was so I thought..._

"We had this discussion already, Tabris, I did not care which of us lived or died. I was hardly fighting at my best," he snapped. They grinned weakly.

 _Is that your way of telling me that you could beat me up?_ they asked. He frowned. _I don't know if my ego could take that, Zev._

"Sometimes I think Morrigan is right to call you foolish," he said irritably. "All that so you could bring me Taliesan," he sighed.

 _He was important to you._ Their nails clicked together quietly as they brought their fingers together for the word important.

"So?"

 _So you're important to me,_ they said. His shoulders tensed for a moment but they'd been expecting that. _Sorry Zev. That's just how it goes when you're friends with someone. They start forming those icky emotional attachments._ They crossed their fingers and brought them close to their chest instead of hooking them, unsure if he would entirely grasp the difference.

"I could leave now, you know," he said. They'd been expecting that too, though it hit them like a sack of bricks just the same. "The Crows will assume that I am dead with Taliesan, for a time. Long enough for me to get away at least." They nodded and pet his arm absently.

 _Why would they think you died with him? Isn't... I mean if he's dead wouldn't they jump first to think that we killed him?_ they asked. Zevran snorted and it was the saddest sound they had ever heard from him. There was a knot in their stomach, suddenly.

"He was the right man to send after me, Tabris. Anyone else I could have killed without hesitation, but him..." He shook his head. "It does not matter. What is past is past," he said firmly. His back was turned to them so they put their arms around him and squeezed. They kissed his neck.

"I'm so sorry, Zevran," they murmured, trying to put their whole damn heart into it. _I have never been more sorry in my life._ Zevran meant the world to them.

"Sorry enough to throw yourself on his knives?" he asked.

 _Maker's Breath I hardly speared myself to make the Crow's heart grow three sizes, Zev. Arm cuts don't usually end in near-death experiences,_ they groused.

"They do with the Crows," he reminded them.

 _Yeah, well, I've had it up to my nuts with the Crows, thanks. Unless you want to fight me again, now that we've establish you can beat me up._ He laughed a little too brightly and they pulled him back to lay with them when their head started swimming. _Are you going to leave?_ they asked.

"I... could stay. I made an oath to help you, after all, and since you seem so determined to find your nasty end in back alleys..." He wanted them to tell him what to do. They sighed and prepared themself for one of the more difficult things they'd ever had to say to someone they cared about.

 _Zevran, if you want to leave, go. I'm not going to hold you here to some oath you made at knifepoint, charming as it was,_ they signed, struggling to meet his eyes. He looked down at them and smiled nervously.

"No, see, that is what I am asking you. Do you want me to stay? Do you need me here?" he asked. He was trying to pass it off as teasing and their gut clenched. **_It's fully within his rights to take off, Tab. You want this for him._**

 _I want you to choose what's best for you. Whatever you want, whether it be to get eaten by an Archdemon or escape into the countryside to be the terror of Thedosian spouses_ , they said, reaching out to touch his face as soon as their hands were free. He opened his mouth then closed it.

"I... these decisions are usually made... by others," he said uncomfortably. They nodded and felt a stab of pity. As much as they bemoaned the alienage and as terrible as most of their fates became, the steps taking them to their inevitable bloody end were always generally of their own choosing. No one had ordered them to kill Vaughan. No one had ordered Shianni to hit him. No one had demanded that Nelaros go after them.

 _I know, but now you have to make it._ He was quiet for a while, long enough for Wynne to walk in and fuss over them and give him reproachful looks as he made himself comfortable. When the healer finally left, Tabris sat cross-legged and looked at him.

"I... shall... stay, then? Is that... fine?" he asked. Their heart jumped into their mouth and they clamped down hard on their enthusiasm.

 _Are you absolutely sure that's what you want?_ they asked. He nodded slowly. _More than fine, then,_ they said with a grin. He pulled them down on top of him and kissed them soundly, and they felt his smile against their lips.

"I also imagine that would have been rather difficult had I strayed from your side," he said, drawing back just long enough to get the words out. He was laughing in a warmer, more genuine way that made their stomach hot. Relief swept through them like a rainstorm and they kissed him like he was the one who'd had a near-death experience.

**Author's Note:**

> does anyone actually read Origins fic any more??? oh well. Here u have them, precious Gahruil Tabris who is really chatty in this story. Their usually the strong and silent type.
> 
> [Edited: It was bothering me a lot because I liked this piece but it reflected on a Gahruil that was 1) a girl and 2) very vocal, neither of which are actually characteristics of them now. Also, just for clarification, I HC Tab has selective mutism]


End file.
